Page 18 of Serena
“Don’t be too hard on her,” Caleb says. I know they’re close, but he enables her too much.
“She needs to come home and deal with it. All she’s doing is running away.” Like someone else I know.
“Ian, she needs a purpose. She’s lost, and let’s be honest, you and everyone else have given her free rein, and now you want her to settle down? Good luck with that. Plus, she isn’t like us. She tries to see the good in others.” He’s always defending Vee. My cousin is a killer through and through, but his only weak spots are the women in our family.
Changing the subject, we go over the plan. I updated him on Mila and the show she put on.
“Do you need help in taking care of that situation?” His immediate reaction to every hurdle is to make people disappear. It’s a sentiment I share with him, but not in this case.
“No, it would lead back to the family, and Mom would be upset if anything happened to Cassandra, so by extension, her daughter.”
We arrive in Miami and get straight to work. Our first stop is my sister. She’s holed up in her hotel room. She runs straight into my arms. “Ian, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know they were taking pictures. I swear.” She sobs in my arms. “I went shopping, and they took pictures of me in the dressing room.”
I turn to my cousin as if reading his mind. “Shh, it’s okay. Caleb and I will handle it. Look at me, Vee.” Her eyes are swollen red from all the crying. “You’re going to go with Felix, and he’s going to take care of you.” She nods. Felix carries her in his arms and leaves the room. Two men follow them to the private plane. Felix is not only my Caleb’s right-hand man but also a family friend. He loves my sister like she were his own. I know I never have to worry about them.
The anticipation and buildup of what’s next is like a drug, one that I try not to indulge in very often, but when I do, I let it take over.
By the time we arrive at the shipyard, everything has been prepared for us. We enter the rusty shipping container located at the back of the property. Away from anyone who could hear us. Not that anyone would. Two men are chained to the ceiling, hanging from hooks drilled into the metal beam. They are gagged and blindfolded. When I remove their blindfolds, the look of surprise gives me an extra shot of adrenaline. They don’t expect to see me, Ian Kayde, the philanthropist and businessman.
Vee was right. These two followed her and took pictures of her while she tried on clothes. These motherfuckers also pretended to be her friend. Miles found them in a couple of her social media posts.
I reach inside my pants pocket and pull out another knife. I put my finger on the switch, releasing the metal blade that reflects light from the lamp in the corner of the space. “Who’s ready to play? I’m going to ask you a question, and any time you refuse to answer, I'm going to use this.” I hold up my knife. “You don’t respond, you get stabbed, simple as that. Understood?” The one on the left seems to lose his resolve at this whole situation and knows there is no way they’re leaving in one piece. His friend, on the other hand, is trying to shout through the dirty rag that’s been taped over his mouth. Okay, let's start. I turn to look at my cousin, who has his Cheshire cat smile on display.
Caleb and I have been doing this for over a decade, and every time is like the first time. We both play our parts; together, we are indestructible. The first time I killed a person was when I was sixteen and spent the summer with Caleb. He was attacked because of who his father is. When Caleb was on the floor bleeding from being stabbed in the chest, I pulled out my knife and slit the man's throat from behind. Still breathing, my cousin used my knife to finish him off. We disposed of the body and went about our night. We were eventually caught by his father,but instead of punishing us, he encouraged and helped feed our monsters. He taught us how to do things cleaner, more effectively, but sometimes we like getting messy. As much as I tried to keep this side of me from Gabe, he found out one night when I was home from college. He doesn’t judge me. There are secrets my brother has that he doesn’t know I’m aware of. He will come to me when he’s ready, and like him, I won’t ever judge him.
By the time we dispose of the evidence and get cleaned up, it’s morning. We get back to the plane, and Vee is passed out in the private bedroom. I turn on my phone and a message from Miles lights my screen.
Miles: Thought you’d like to see this.
I click on the file. There are two videos, the first with a time stamp of 10:37 p.m., and the second at 3:07 a.m. They are from the security camera outside Serena’s apartment door. I press play and watch the first, then move on to the second. At that moment, I decide I’m going to kill him.
Selma informed me that I'd be picked up by a car and taken to the airport, where the company plane would fly me the short distance to our destination. This is my first trip as Vice President of Finance, so as much as I would rather be at home, I pushed myself to get out the door this morning. I’m also exhausted from last night, and I have a throbbing pain in my right hand. Not to mention my apartment is a disaster. I can’t believe I lost control like that. What was I thinking? I was so overwhelmed. Shit. I hope the painkillers kick in soon, but focusing on the pain distracts me from spiraling.
I exit the building, looking around for the car, but I don’t see it. I pull up the email, yeah, here it is. Pickup at eight in the morning. I look around but only see a man leaning on a red sports car, a bit ostentatious if you ask me, but to each his own. He’s just standing there, wearing a black shirt that shows off his tattoos. The multitude of designs starts at his fingers and continues all the way up his arms. I bet if he took off his shirt,he'd be covered in them. He’s wearing dark jeans and combat boots, like something out of an action movie. His body is lean. He reminds me of the fighters I see at the gym. He looks like he could do some damage. Shit, I need to stop staring.
“Serena Nerva.” Did he just say my name?
“Y-y-yes.” My reply carries hesitation because who the fuck is this guy? And after the last twenty-four hours I’ve had, I’m in no mood.
“I’m Caleb. Ian sent me to pick you up.” He moves toward me, and I step back.
“Did he really?” I say sarcastically.
“Yeah, no. I’m not going anywhere with you. I don’t know you. I can take a cab or car service to the airport.” He laughs and pulls out his phone, typing something, and less than a minute later, my phone buzzes.
Unknown
Get in the fucking car.
Serena
Who’s this?
I know exactly who it is just by the bossiness, but fuck him for assuming I’d get into a car with a stranger. He’s a hot stranger, but a stranger nonetheless.
Unknown
Stop being a brat and get in the fucking car, or I’ll have him drag you.
